Will soda and other saccharine libations soon come with a health warning? They will if it’s up to our state senator, Bill Monning (D-Carmel). On Feb. 27, Monning proposed first-of-its-kind legislation that would require a consumer warning label be placed on sugar-sweetened beverages sold in California.

SB 1000, also known as the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act, was proposed to provide vital information to consumers about the harmful effects of consuming sugary drinks, such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened teas.

Walking into the Capitola Book Café one recent afternoon, the clamor of patrons is close to overwhelming. Children pick through art prints as their parents study the selection of hardcover books that are neatly placed on displays at the front of the store. A group of women peruse a shelf of antiques, and a young couple smiles at each other over cups of espresso.

In the rear of the building, empty shelves sit like skeletons, lacking the body of books that once filled them. Save for ubiquitous signs marking clearance items, those sparse shelves provide the only hint that Capitola Book Café (CBC) will close its doors for the last time at the end of February.

Opportunity Fund gains new support for microloans in Santa Cruz County

Small businesses, or those with fewer than 500 employees, provide 55 percent of the total jobs in the United States and more than two-thirds of the net job growth in the country, according to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). With this in mind, the key to rebuilding the strength of Santa Cruz County’s economy may lie in the hands of entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Rather than the potato chips, sodas and candy one might expect from a corner store, chopped vegetables, yogurts and plastic containers of fruit greet shoppers at Vicky’s Produce in Watsonville. Candy bars have been relegated to a case at the end of the front counter, and healthier snacks like dates and nuts are now positioned closer to the register. Meanwhile, bins chock-full of fresh lettuce, carrots, bananas and other produce flank the entrance.

Healthcare has been a fixture in the headlines for several years now—from the passage of President Barack Obama’s flagship Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 and the House Republicans’ constant attempts to repeal it, to the recent rollout of the online insurance marketplace and the glitches that characterized its launch.

The take-home message has been that healthcare will become more accessible for all Americans, who will need to attain some form of health insurance under the new law by the end of March 2014 to avoid a penalty.

Local startup Civinomics aims to fundamentally change the way we participate civically

Last weekend, it appears that the landscape of political and civic engagement—an activity for which many citizens of this country have developed a healthy sense of cynicism—just took one big bounding leap into the 21st century.

A three-day community event, called “Civinomicon,” brought more than 100 people to Cruzio downtown, where the young startup called Civinomics aims to make civic action, organization and, eventually, crowd funding, as intuitive as networking online with friends.

As the Santa Cruz Warriors approaches the start of its second season of NBA Development League basketball—operating as the affiliate team to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland—both sports fans and the business community, alike, are eagerly re-investing for more of what they got with season one.

Of the D-League's 17 teams nationwide, the Santa Cruz Warriors are leading in season ticket renewals at a rate of 88 percent, which team president Jim Weyermann says is a key indicator of how well a sports franchise is doing.

The federal government shutdown dragging on didn’t stop counties around the United States from pushing forward with the rollout of open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act.

Colloquially known as Obamacare, open enrollment officially began Tuesday, Oct. 1, and Santa Cruz County officials estimate it could affect as many as 30,000 county residents. Of those, an estimated 8,600 residents are newly eligible for Medi-Cal, according to Cecilia Espinola, director of the county’s human services department.

Health Screening

Leo Sun; Full Moon, Venus Retro in Leo; Saturn Direct

It’s a complex week of planetary movements, challenges, demands and callings. We’re in the time of the Leo Sun. Leo—fixed fire, gold, the heart, generous, strong, noble, the king/queen—needs appreciation and praise from everyone in order to move forward. During Leo we gain a greater sense of self-identification by recognizing our creativity. It’s therefore a perfect time for Venus retrograding in Leo. In Venus retrograde we review and re-assess values. Venus retro in Leo concerns our self as valuable, acknowledging talents, gifts, abilities and offerings. Friday, Venus re-enters Leo (29 degrees, a critical degree) continuing the retrograde to 14 degrees Leo on Sept. 6.
Friday (Full Moon) is also the (8 degrees) Leo solar festival, Festival of the Future. Leo is the heart of the sun, the heart of all that matters. When attuned to this heart, we have understanding and inclusivity. The heart of the Lion is Mitra (think “Maitreya,” the coming World Teacher). Leo prepares humanity to receive divine love from subtle sources and later to radiate that love to the kingdoms. Sirius, Ray 2, where love originates, streams through Regulus (heart of Leo), into the heart of the sun (Ray 2) and into all hearts. The heart of Leo is Regulus. Joining Venus, the love underlying all of creation appears.
Saturday is Sun/Neptune (confusion or devotion) with late night Saturn turning stationary direct. Ideas, plans and structures held long in abeyance (since March 14) slowly move forward. (Read more on Leo and the week at nightlightnews.org and Risa D’Angeles’ Facebook page, accessed through my website.)

The New Tech Nexus

Community leaders in science and technology unite to form web-based networking program

Holy Cannoli

Is Santa Cruz turning into Malibu North?

It's got a ways to go before it gets wrecked like Malibu, but I think we need to be very careful about growth.
Maria Mattioli, Santa Cruz, Psychotherapist

Bargetto Winery

A much-anticipated annual event at Bargetto Winery is the release of their very special La Vita red wine. June 7 was the day to be heralded this year, and I happily squeezed my car into their overloaded car park in eager anticipation of tasting the new La Vita nectar.